Stubborn
by Heart2Heroes
Summary: Artemis resigns from the team and strikes out to become her own hero. Each teammate reacts differently, some more than others. When Wally West decides to take action, they might just be in over their heads. Spitfire!
1. Chapter 1, To be a Hero

A dimly lit room. Nothing but a lit candle with the smell of lavender filled the air. She could feel the breeze blowing in from her window but she didn't bother to close it.

Artemis was busy staring at something in the mirror.

Someone, rather.

Sometimes Artemis would see a little girl with a teddy bear in hand, confused and full of sadness.

Other times Artemis could see a girl with paw markings printed on her cheeks. Her hair tied with strands falling on both sides of her face and a mischievous smile with cold eyes.

Artemis Crock never saw Artemis Crock when she looked in the mirror.

And she believed she never would.

She was in what felt like a never ending battle between her past and her future.

Everyone called the green suited archer a hero, she had been through hell to prove she was worthy of that title.

But it never felt right when she heard someone say it.

Afraid it might be here genes saying this isn't the life for her.

Artemis Crock had something against acceptance, which made her her own worst enemy.

" _Artemis B-07"_

"Look who finally showed up"

Wally West and his usual fresh attitude greeted the suited archer as she zeta'd in.

"Not now baywatch."

she spat as she walked past him. The blond wasn't in the mood for their usual petty fights.

She headed straight towards the others in the mission briefing room where they spoke to Batman about their latest mission completion.

Artemis knew what she was about to say would stun everyone but she had said worse things.

"I'm resigning." she said, standing tall and looking directly at Batman.

It didn't take long for someone to react.

Out from behind came a speedy red head with a confused mix of emotions painted on his face.

"What, why?"

The others were to surprised by what she had said to be able to react, of course the speedster was able to recover the quickest.

Artemis did not look at him directly, instead she turned and walked while responding.

"I need space." was the last thing she said before exiting through the zeta tube.

It ended as quickly as it started.

Upon returning home Artemis had various emotions running through her at once. Regret was a big one. But she refused to turn back, in her eyes, it was for the best.

"I won't hurt anyone this way." she spoke, closing her eyes and letting the wind brush against her face and stroke her long, golden hair.

"It had to be done."

She placed her hand over her heart, covering the symbol on her chest before throwing herself in bed.

Thoughts such as 'Did I make the right decision?' lingered in her mind as she closed her eyes and attempted to fall asleep.

'Or did I just make the biggest mistake of my life.'

"What…. What was that all about?!" Wally exhaled towards his team and walked back and forth running his hand through his hair.

"We're going to get her back, aren't we?"

Dick, M'gann, Kaldur, and Conner exchanged looks with each other then turned to Batman awaiting an answer.

"I'll leave you all to work this out amongst yourselves" he replied before turning to leave.

His response infuriated Wally,

"That's all you have to say about her leaving?"

Batman stopped for a moment but did not turn to face the demanding boy,

"She has the right to make her own decisions." he said before continuing on to leave.

Kid Flash remained silent for a moment. He looked at his team as he clenched his fist then ran off in the opposite direction.

"Wally was right, what _was_ that all about?" Robin finally spoke, breaking the shifting silence.

"Maybe I should go and ask her?" M'gann spoke in a small voice.

Conner shook his head, "She said she needed space. Well fine, space is what we'll give her."

The team looked at Kaldur who was still processing what had just happened.

He nodded, "We'll give her space."

Robin glanced at the team before running off further into the cave, "i'll go check on Wally."

Sitting in the sand just outside a mountain sat a boy in red and yellow.

The waves were rough and cold as they reached his boots. Wally stared intently at nothing with a face of anger.

The Boy Wonder appeared behind him.

"I know what you're thinking." Robin voiced as he sat beside Wally. He put his head down as a response.

"She didn't do this to betray you, or us. You don't know what she could be going through." Robin stared down the waves coming at them.

They sat in silence for a moment before the stressed boy could respond.

"If it's something she's going through then why didn't she say anything?" he murmured in a calm voice.

"Because she's Artemis." Robin snickered, throwing a pebble into the waters,

"She's to stubborn to say anything."

Wally smiled slightly but he hid it from his friend.

"Whatever." he said before getting up to leave.

"She'll be back" Robin said, still facing the ocean.

"She has too."


	2. Chapter 2, Runaway Archer

-One day later-

Everyone sat on the couch in silence. It was around afternoon time and the team had not been assigned anything yet.

They didn't feel like training.

Kid Flash sat at the far end leaning his head on his hand with an extremely bored expression.

He stared off at the blank tv then lifted his head to look at the others who were showing the same expression.

He sat up to speak, "This is ridiculous! Can someone go and tell Artemis how ridiculous this is? She's part of this team whether she likes it or not." he said with a loud voice.

Robin smirked and made his voice as deep as possible,

"'She has the right to make her own decisions.'"

Wally glared at him,

"If you guys aren't going to do anything about this then I will!" he said before running out of the room.

Kaldur stared at the boy wonder who remained with his smirk,

"Should we follow him?"

Robin shook his head, "Nah he can get his butt kicked on his own."

Artemis sat on her bed sharpening arrows in silence.

She made sure each arrow were the sharpest they could be, studying the tips and edges and sometimes poking it with her finger.

Her TV was on, she always had the news going. She decided that her first step in becoming a hero was playing hero on her own. She awaited for some bank robbery or even a cat stuck in a tree for all she cared.

"Small things count too" the archer whispered resting her final arrow on the bed.

She heard a knock at the door and figured her mother would answer, which she did.

"Hi , is Artemis here?" Artemis' eyes widened as she hopped out of bed and ran to her bedroom door, placing her ear on the wood.

"She is," her mother responded "You're her friend,right?"

Wally smiled awkwardly in the doorway,

"Yeah, more or less."

Her mother wheeled herself in and welcomed the redhead to enter.

"Artemis, a friend is here to see you!"

The blond groaned and bit her lip debating whether she should go or even respond.

"Im coming, mom" she sighed opening the door slowly and looking down the hall.

She took her sweet time arriving in the living room and slowly sat down.

Her mother smiled, "I'll leave you two alone for now."

"No mom, you don't have too." her mother waved her hand,

"It's fine Artemis." she said before wheeling off to her room.

Artemis was uncomfortable but she didn't show it, she stayed standing because Wally was on the couch.

"What are you doing here?!" she yelled at him.

Wally opened his mouth with his finger in the air and Artemis knew she was gonna hear it from him now.

She rolled her eyes and slumped down as he started.

"You abandoned your team without even telling us why. Everyone is angry with you Artems, how could you just get up and leave? I came to get you back!"

She looked at him with a casual face,

"If the others were so angry about me leaving, why didn't _they_ come too?"

Wally choked and searched his brain for a quick excuse,

"Cus… because they're busy!"

"Doing what?"

Wally glared at her,

"I don't know, whatever they do when we're not there!"

Artemis smirked,

"Oh wait, this is precious."

Wally tilted his head still showing an irritated expression.

"What is?"

She stood back up, crossing her arms, still smirking.

"You miss me, don't you."

His eyes widened and he responded as quick as his mouth could,

"I did not!"

Artemis started laughing which made Wally even more irritated.

"Why would I miss you?" he tried to talk over her laughter.

She calmed down but remained smiling, a plain look was given to the speedster,

"I don't know Wally, why would you miss me?"

Wally was quiet for moment but responded when it seemed as though she was really calm now,

"Exactly. Now can you come back, please? The team is being kind of miserable without you."

Artemis sighed,

"But it's only been a day. Besides, I have things I have to do alone."

Wally wasn't so angry anymore, he remembered how Robin said she could be going through things.

"Well how long do you plan on being out?"

Artemis folded her hands and sighed,

"I don't know… a couple months maybe?"

Wally thought out loud, "Months!"

Artemis squinted her eyes and her smirk returned. Wally looked at her and glared.

"Pfft not like I care I was just clarifying that you said months."

She shook her head.

"Well if you came to get me back then I guess you failed your mission." she joked standing and signaling him to the door.

Wally sighed and pulled at his fingers. He stared at the coffee table in front of them,

"Artemis if something about the team's bugging you, you could alway talk… to them about it."

She shook her head,

"No Wally this isnt about you guys it's about me."

He chuckled,

"Sounded like that 'It's not you it's me' line"

The archer was quiet for minute, only a small smile remained on her face.

The speedster broke the silence,

"Just at least promise _**them**_ you'll be safe."

She nodded.

"Yeah baywatch, I promise _**them**_ i'll be safe."

The boy nodded and walked himself out the door.

"See you around." he said before closing the door.

Artemis sighed, "See you around."

She walked back to her room where it seemed her TV had gone haywire.

Fire Trucks, helicopters, ambulances, cop and swat cars surrounding one building.

Artemis gasped.

She heard the words "Nuclear bomb" and had nearly fell several times as she threw her suit on.

Grabbing her quiver of arrows and bow, she leaped through the window.

"Police are now trying to convince the **clown of Gotham** to steer clear of the bomb. However several of his guards are blocking them from entry. This could be the end of Gotham City entirely, and even neighboring cities. The lives of millions are at stake. Now back to Brian for more on this breaking story."


	3. Chapter 3, I, not we!

Wally leaned his back on the archer's door. He stared at the floor for a moment and groaned.

'I don't want her to leave for **months** '

He pushed his hands in his pockets,

'I guess I do miss her…'

He thought as he turned to face her door.

He debated for a moment. He could go back now and regret not telling her the truth for who knows how long, or…

Wally reached for the doorknob and froze as the brass touched his skin.

He closed his eyes tightly and turned, pushing forward.

The speedster opened his eyes with the door,

"Artemis I-"

He stopped seeing she was no longer there.

Wally walked in and went down the hall where Artemis entered from.

Seeing an open door, he slowly entered.

"...Artemis?" he said looking in.

No one.

It took the boy a moment to notice the tv running on a high volume.

The window was open and the speedster understood exactly where Artemis was at… or going to.

'Oh please tell me i'm wrong' he thought before turning quickly to run out the door.

He froze when Artemis' mother sat in front of him.

"What are you doing in here? Artemis, Artemis where are you!" she yelled trying to look past the boy.

"Uh… sorry no time to explain gotta go" he zipped out before another word was said.

'Well that wasn't embarrassing' he sighed still running.

Kid Flash had learned his lesson once about keeping his suit at home. He always hid a bag near where he was incase he needed it.

He didn't need to know exactly where the area was, seeing helicopters overhead with several sirens sounding, he had a pretty good idea.

Wally ran at his top speed, people in the streets only felt a breeze woosh by them.

Heart pounding in his chest, there were thousands of thoughts in his mind and all of them mentions Artemis at least once.

Upon arrival, several officers recognized the boy in red and yellow.

"Ay shouldn't that Flash Kid be at central?" one said standing right next to him.

"It's Kid…" he shook his head and grunted, "y'know what forget it, have you seen a tall blond girl, green suit, bow, and arrow thingy on her back?"

The officer shook his head, "We ain't got time for these games kid, this is a serious situation, why don't you run your red boots back to yer own city." he snorted.

Wally gave himself a minute to cool off before zipping past the men closer to the heavily guarded building.

"Hey what are those kids doing past the yellow tape!?"

Artemis froze when she heard 'kids' and turned her head to the left while Kid Flash turned his head to the right.

"Kid _s_?" they both said under their breaths and had different reactions once they saw each other.

"Artemis, what are you doing here!"

He said running up to her.

"I could ask you the same thing! I'm supposed to do this alone, _kid_ dork!"

"I don't know if we were listening to the same newscast, but there's a psychotic clown with a nuke in there, how did you think you could do this alone!?"

A clown masked man holding a machine gun laughed with the men beside him,

"Looks like these kids gotta first date gone wrong" they laughed and Artemis held an arrow up at them.

"We're _not_ dating."

"HA! They're kinda cute, this girl with'a toy set, I bet the boss would find these kids funny."

Wally gave an equally dirty look with the archer, "we're not kids." he uttered which only made the men laugh harder.

"Alright, alright enough with the jokes, boss says nobody goes in, kid or not you two are dead!"

Artemis shot her arrow, but missed as she was unsteady from Wally who had picked her up and started running. The masked man fired but his bullets missed them.

"Machine guns, Artemis. Faster and deadlier than arrows." he said looking ahead.

"I would have been fine if you didn't show up!"

"Ha that's a funny joke, but it's time to be serious. I'm calling the League."

Artemis' eyes widened,

"You can't do that!"

Wally had ran into an alley not to far from where they were. Setting her down.

"And why can't I? What's been going on with you Artemis, why are you so determined to get yourself killed?"

Artemis was flustered, she wanted to tell him but something was holding her back.

"It doesn't matter, I'm not trying to get killed, i'm trying to stop that guy from wiping out this whole city! And you can't call the League because they're too obvious, the clown could see them and know the jigs up! All it takes is one mistake, Wally, and we could all end up dead."

'Sounded way better than I thought it would' Artemis confessed in her mind as Wally processed.

"Fine. To many **would** be overkill…"

Artemis smiled, "Thank you" she sighed before nudging past him and running back to the building.

Wally grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Which is why we'll be doing this **together.** "


	4. Chapter 4, pfft 'Afraid'

Artemis groaned and put her hand over her face. "Wally not now. I can handle this on my own."

Wally snickered,

"You thought I was asking?" he said before lifting the archer again and heading towards the back of the building where they hid at a safe distance behind a dumpster.

"Wally you don't understand, I **have** to do this alone." she whined but Wally wasn't listening.

He peered over the dumpster where the guards stood. He was thinking.

"Hey Artemis, do you happen to have some kind of freeze arrow."

She looked up at him, "Duh. But you aren't listening, I don't need-"

"Great, I need you to shoot it at the guy wearing the black boots."

He whispered, "Aim for his gun, the other guys are carrying an easier load for us to handle."

Artemis groaned and aimed her bow.

She spoke before shooting, "Fine, help me get in, other than that we're **not** teaming."

She shot the arrow and the man's arm froze completely. He could no longer pull the trigger, all the other men look around at each other which gave the speedster and archer the perfect moment to make their move.

They charged.

Kid Flash taking out to men with fast punches and Artemis taking out the two others with net arrows and a few kicks of her own.

"Two kids! You won't last a minute in there!"

Artemis kicked open the back door and stood inside.

Wally looked at his wrist and they waited.

"Minute yet?"

"Wait for it…" Wally said as the man grunted and attempted to shake his hand free.

"Annnd minute passed. By the way, we aren't kids." the speedster said before kicking the man's head causing him to pass out.

Wally was inside.

"You know what I don't get? You hate being called a kid yet your hero name is _Kid_ Flash." she whispered as they walked through the hall, checking doors on both sides.

"It's different when you're… well Kid…at least my hero name isn't my name name." he uttered in a whisper as well and Artemis smirked.

"Yeah, what kind of hero would be named Wally"

The boy glared at her and she smiled back at him.

"Look, just focus on the mission." Kid Flash said causing Artemis to pause.

She looked down at the floor and thought for a moment.

She wanted to do this alone. To prove herself alone, but "Kid Nosy" wasn't having any of it. On the surface she says she's letting him tag along so he wouldn't complain and slow her down.

But deep down, Artemis wanted him by her side. Truth be told, Artemis Crock was afraid.

The mad clown was notorious in her city for his crimes. For a man named "Joker", there was nothing funny about what he did.

Wally broke Artemis' chain of thoughts, "All these rooms are empty."

He walked towards the split in the hallway. Both heroes exchanged looks and he knew what she was thinking.

"We're not splitting up." he stated and Artemis began walking down the left hallway.

"Yes we are. It's quicker, I still have my earpiece, radio me if something happens."

"Same to you" he responded.

Wally shook his head as he started down the right corridor, "I don't like this." he whispered under his breath. But what choice did he have?

Wally West knew when there was a job to be done as serious as this, there's no time to waist. The thought of something going south for them crossed his minds several times.

He constantly radioed Artemis.

"Listen Kid mouth, I get that you're worried about me, but I can take care of myself. They can hack our radio, so i'm signing off for now. Artemis out!"

Wally froze,

"Im not-dont- ugh!" he groaned putting his hands on his head.

'Is she serious? I'm not worried…'

Kid Flash shook his head and kept going at a faster pace, deciding he would no longer use the radio.

'What's her problem' he grumbled before walking into a very tall and fat figure.

Wally walked back slowly so he could get a full view.

"Having troubles, Flash boy? Don't you worry, the doctor takes surprise visits."

A large man chuckled. He wore makeup and a nurse outfit.

"I'm completely fine. The only thing troubling me right now is your face." Kid Flash and his fresh attitude responded.

Wally didn't want to be there, but he was there for Artemis.

If he were being honest, then he'd admit, he was afraid.


	5. Chapter 5, Pretender

Artemis was thinking more about Kid Flash than the original task she was walking into.

It happened often during missions.

For a while, she realized she may like him more than she was letting out.

And for a longer while, she had been waiting for him to make a move.

One thing was certain, Artemis wouldn't be caught dead making the first move on him.

'If he even likes me the same way at all' she thought as she rubbed her arm, furthering down the hall.

She had reached a dead end.

"Well what now?" she whispered before radioing Wally.

"Artemis to Kid Flash."

Static.

"Kid Flash?" she repeated but still heard nothing.

The archer was already imagining what could have happened.

'Calm down Artemis, he's probably just getting payback because I ignored him…'

She began running back down her hallway when a door slammed right in front of her face.

She fell back and rubbed her head from the painful impact.

" _You know what I can't stand?"_

A barely audible voice sounded somewhere in the dead end hallway.

The way out seemed like it was bolted no matter how many times she tried to bash her way through.

" _I cant stand children and their eagerness to be_ _**involved."**_

The voice said as Artemis deemed the door unbreakable.

" _This was supposed to be bat bait, so you can only imagine my disappointment when_ _ **you two**_ _showed up!"_

Artemis froze. The empty signal.

"What'd you do to him, clown freak!"

She yelled at the ceiling.

" _I would be less worried about what happened to him dear, and more worried about what's going to happen to you"_ a flood of laughter filled the room.

The archer never released her arrow. Standing in the corner, she awaited her fate.

Smoke began filling the room and she instantly started thinking.

'I have my breather. But I have to be smart about this…' time was running out.

The fog grew heavier in her space and she fell forward.

The laughing continued,

" _This'll teach that bat head not to send kiddies to do a man's job!"_

Wally West was shaking his fists and groaning as he tried to break free from the bonds that held him.

They were made of steel. Memories of the time he rescued Superboy from cadmus returned due to the familiar scene.

'The only thing missing are the pods.' he thought, drawing a breath and looking around.

He was being held in an empty cargo area.

He could hear the helicopters overhead and the sirens still wailing.

He wondered if Artemis was having any better luck than him.

"This was a mistake." he admitted facing the floor.

'We didn't have a chance. Only hope now is that the League **does** shows up **discreetly** before that clown blows us all into ash stains.'

He lifted his head, still twisting his hands.

'Where are you, Artemis?'

Like an answer from the gods, in stormed two masked men dragging a blond who seemed unconscious.

Wally gave the men a dirty look and started shaking his fists harder at the sight of his teammate.

"You guys are so dead when I get out of here." he stated as they pulled her beside the boy and steadied her to be chained

Artemis' eyes opened and she kicked one square in the face, sending him backwards.

The other swung his fist to her face for a punch and she moved her head seconds before.

She grabbed and bit the hand that held her. The archer pushed herself away from him as he yelled in pain.

She ran towards the a panel in front of them and tried several buttons.

"Artemis behind you!" the speedster yelled causing her to duck and knee her victim in the stomach. He groaned but she wasn't finished, she swung her leg over him and bashed him onto the cold floor.

Now came the second man who wrapped his hand with a piece of his own shirt.

Artemis was worried she'd hit the wrong button. There were dozens but two were separated from the others. One was red and the other was green.

"Red means stop.." she hit green and heard a click behind her and then a thud.

She turned and smiled at the result, Wally looming over the second masked man who was out cold.

"And green means go."


	6. Chapter 6, Time Waits For No Man

Both heroes shared a sigh of relief.

There was a brief silence between the two.

It didn't last long.

"A thank you would be nice" Artemis smiled as she took her bow and quiver back from the unconscious clown.

"Hey we wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you"

Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Guess that 'thank you' was asking for to much."

Wally sighed, " **Thank you** , Artemis." he said sourly.

"You're. Welcome." she replied with a satisfied look.

"Ok so… we've been in here for a while. You found nothing, I found nothing. And I figured some kind of _other_ authority would show up by now, but nothing's happened…"

Artemis was thinking.

"Joker said something about 'bat bait'... you think the whole nuke was a sick gag?"

Wally choked, "You went up against the Joker solo?!"

"No! It was some intercom or whatever…"

"Oh…"

"What does that matter!" she retorted.

"You're missing the point! This whole mission could be completely pointless!"

Artemis grabbed her head in disappointment.

The mission that was supposed to prove herself was a joke. It made her feel stupid.

'Should have seen something like this coming' she groaned in thought.

Kid Flash, confused by her reaction, confronted her.

"Isn't that technically a good thing? No nuke no, you know, mass destruction? We could just call the League and tip them off."

Artemis threw a glare in his direction and he only became more confused, "No Wally, you aren't getting it are you? This was supposed to be my mission. I was… forget it. You're right, call the League, this mission is officially over."

Artemis began walking towards the door she was dragged through but Wally ran in front of her.

"Wait, you can't just abandon! What are you trying to tell me, Artemis? I'm not M'gann, I can't read your mind! Say it Artemis, why did you leave this team and go off on this crazy mission that almost got us captured? Tell me Artemis." he crossed his arms and waited for her answer.

She gave him an, "Are you serious right now?" look before nudging past him.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Wally."

The boy grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back in front of him.

She froze, "I'm serious, Artemis."

Unable to shake him off, Artemis sighed. Desperately, she searched for an excuse that would make sense.

When none came, she forcefully agreed to confess.

"Alright! Yes, I ditched the team, and yes i'm dragging myself through this because Wally i'm not a hero! I'm not like you or the team, not yet and maybe not ever. You… know about my blood lines and… I really don't want to be like them. I hoped striking out on my own would prove myself"

"Artemis, I thought we've been over this once, I-"

"Not you, Wally, me. I did this for me, to prove it to myself."

The speedster loosened his grip on her arms and finally both looked each other in the eyes.

"Do you even hear how crazy you sound? Artemis y-… you're…" god he wanted to say it. His head was burning up as Artemis waited.

"Artemis you are a hero. I probably wouldn't even be here if you didn't save me like a dozen times. If I can't get that in your head when i'm the living proof, then I don't know who can."

That was something along the lines of what he wanted to say.

Artemis sighed, breaking eye contact.

He wanted to say more, but he felt like it could wait.

"Let's find Joker, make sure this whole thing is really a bluff before we call the League." she responded before walking past him.

Entering the next door, Wally followed.

He felt bad but held his tongue.

'It can wait.'


	7. Chapter 7, Running out

Entering the next room, Artemis was feeling uneasy.

It was empty but Artemis' intuition was going wild.

Despite Wally telling her to calm down, the archer couldn't let down her bow.

The darkness was eery.

Suddenly the walls began to shake and quickly, Kid Flash stood behind Artemis.

Standing back to back in the middle of the room as the walls began to fall.

"The room was a fake!"

Wally yelled.

The ceiling was giving way and Wally quickly took action by grabbing Artemis and running out of the way.

Outside the fallen room was a gigantic jack-in-the-box playing itself.

Red numbers were counting down from 5 minutes.

Both heroes stood wide eyed.

"So… not a bluff."

He spoke.

Without taking her eyes away from the machine, Artemis asked "You know how to turn off a nuke?"

Wally scratched the back of his head,

"Regular bombs, maybe. A nuke is way more dangerous to play with…."

The same voice that spoke to Artemis rang over their heads,

" _Which makes it all the more fun! Now if I were you two, i'd hitch a hike home to watch the fireworks at a 'safe' distance. But if you super babies are so desperate to prove yourselves then go ahead and give my jack-in-the-box a try!"_

He laughed before the coms went out.

Wally looked at Artemis.

"This isn't about proving myself right now, it's about saving this city before it gets blown to ashes."

She stated before approaching the over-sized toy.

"We have to find a panel."

The speedster was silent, and had not moved.

"We could die here, Artemis."

She gave him a sharp look, "Then we'll die trying."

He took a deep breath before running up to her.

She was behind the machine, unscrewing the panel with an arrow.

Wally took a knee beside her.

'Say it' were the words that he kept repeating in his mind.

"Artemis, I…"

She looked up from what she was doing, "What Wally, make it quick."

He sighed, "I… I think I know how to turn this thing off" he lied.

The archer popped off the panel and ushered him to try.

He looked around. Wires and wires.

He groaned, 'This is nothing like a regular bomb.' he thought.

He was pulled from his thinking when Artemis yelled, "3 minutes!" from the other side.

"I can't do this, Artemis." he confessed

"You have to try"

He looked back into the machine. "I could make it worse, I could set it off early."

Artemis held out a sharp arrow.

"Are you going to do this or am I?"

Wally realized Artemis' mind could not be changed. She was determined.

Taking the arrow from her hand, he slowly turned his head back towards the panel.

He had his options.

"Regular bombs consist of 4 colors, red,green,blue, and yellow. Usually it's the green wire, but this one has several other colors like purple, silver, and teal."

Artemis was crouched beside him, "So… whether this thing blows or not is going to be based off a guess!"

Wally sighed, "Yes, Artemis."

Both held their breath as his red gloved hand grabbed the green wire.

Suddenly the machine started beeping and Artemis ran to the front to see why.

"Oh my god, 8 seconds Wally."

The baby music grew louder.

Wally immediately sliced the green wire upon hearing Artemis' voice.

Wally saw the peak of the jack-in-the-box beginning to burst.

In a blurred movement he picked the archer up and shot out of the building as fast as he could.


	8. Chapter 8, Disaster

Miles away, Wally stopped putting her down and gasping for breath, crouched.

It happened too fast for Artemis to grasp it all.

"What'd you just do?"

Rather than answer her question, he looked off over the mountain peak they stood on.

Everything seemed normal in the city below.

"Artemis…. There's… the bomb didn't go off!"

She recovered from the sudden shock of being carried a good distance in several seconds.

A smile crept on her face as she realized what they had just accomplished.

Speechless for a moment.

"We… we did it" she whispered.

Turning heads to face the other.

Wally looked off confused for a moment, "but I saw the peak of the jack-in-the-box burst"

Artemis glanced at him, "That's why you ran?"

"I wasn't just gonna let us stand there if it actually went off." he responded sternly.

Another pause between them.

"We should head back."

Artemis agreed.

The feeling was slightly awkward having him lift her up to head back.

The entry was blocked off, but both could see a hole through the wall.

Both heroes were wide eyed for a moment.

Artemis whispered to her partner, "You ran through the wall!"

He could barely believe his eyes.

He never felt the impact, did he really just go through a brick wall?

"I… I don't…"

He trailed off as he looked around at the men who surrounded them.

"Artemis…" he said grabbing her hand and backing away from the area.

Every officer had a huge, unhealthy smile plastered on their face.

They laughed and giggled and were slowly approaching the two with their guns. The Joker's goons approached with heavier machinery and crowbars.

"The bomb…" he whispered backing up.

"It wasn't a nuke, it was…"

"Some kind of joker crazy gas, yeah no kidding, I think we should leave before-"

The goons began to fire and both leaped in opposite directions.

Artemis fired a net arrow to hold down one man but there were too many armed innocents.

She fired several arrows meant to hold some men as more began to fire. Her quiver was grabbed from behind by two of the infected.

"Get off!" she screamed trying to swing her bow behind her.

Kid Flash sped up, knocking out both men and grabbing Artemis for the fourth time.

"There's to many" he said before running away from the scene.

After running for a couple of minutes, Artemis glanced at the speedster who looked ahead

"Thanks" she spoke in a small voice.

"Don't mention it. Artemis I set off that bomb, this is-"

"It was going to set off anyways, it wasn't your fault Wally."

Stopping in an alley that seemed deserted, he carefully set her down.

"I think we **need** the League now."

He said, "They took my earpiece out when I tried to contact you after being captured, you're going to have to do it."

"Way ahead of you."

She responded. She brought her finger to her ear to turn it on, but all she heard was static.

"It's either busted, or the League's out of contact."

"Lets hope it's busted because the last thing I need to hear is the League's been infected as well."

She lowered her hand and crossed her arms, "If they were in Gotham, It's possible."

The speedster sighed, "This is a nightmare."

Artemis looked out into the street, "Not a car is moving, the toxin must have poured through the whole place. Everyone within range was infected…"

She turned to look back at him, "How fast did you run?"

He shook his head, "I'm not sure Artemis, even for me it was a blur."

The two were silent for a moment.

Their fingers tingled and a strange feeling bubbled in their stomachs.

Both waiting for the other to speak, to break the silence.

A little close for comfort.

Artemis was desperate for something to happen, but Wally backed away, "We'll… we'll need to get a sample of the toxin from a victim's blood." he said turning away,

"Then head back to central and figure out a cure. Also figure out if the League's okay, make them aware of the situation."

The archer kicked a stone and turned away from him, "then lets get it done quickly, the longer it takes to find a cure, the less time we have from preventing a permanent result."

Kid Flash pulled at his gloves slightly, looking at Artemis who was turned away.

He kept his feet planted. A small shed of regret was obvious to him.

'It can wait.'


	9. Chapter 9, The Easy Task

Artemis walked ahead of him as they wandered the creepy Gotham streets.

They decided it'd be too dangerous to handle them in a crowd, so they hoped to find someone walking around alone.

"Artemis I think we should head to the city's hospital, we can get a shot there to collect the blood, and there has to be some infected people too."

Without turning around, Artemis nodded.

"Okay, but to make this quicker, we should split up. You check out on the League, zeta to Mount Justice and check on _your_ team too. I know Gotham better, when I have the blood we can zeta back to Central. We meet at Star labs"

The plan sounded logical but he was not to excited about it.

"There's no way for us to make contact, if something happens how will I know."

She gripped her bow, "Nothing will happen, i'll be fine. We don't have any time to waist."

Artemis spoke in a serious tone, but it carried some anger with it that she couldn't hide.

Wally noticed it. He decided to let her win this argument.

It was necessary.

"Fine…" he said. Artemis was already running towards the nearest hospital.

"Be Careful." he yelled before running and quickly disappearing.

Artemis looked back without stopping.

' _You too'_

Wally hitched a ride through a zeta tube to get to Mount Justice faster. Inside it was silent,

"Guys!" he yelled zipping from place to place.

Everything was silent.

In the mission room, Wally opened the projected screen trying to get someone on the line.

He tried M'gann, Robin, and Conner but got no answer.

"What's going on with these guys." he groaned before turning to leave.

He froze when he saw his team with the same grotesque smile as the others.

They started to giggle.

"Oh this is so not good." he said before attempting to make an escape.

His feet were lifted off the ground.

"M'gann stop!" she only laughed harder.

Robin threw a batarang that wrapped around him in the air, keeping him tied.

The martian dropped him with no soft landing.

"Guys snap out of it!" he yelled trying to scoot away from them.

Superboy walked ahead of the others and swung his fist at the redhead, Wally threw himself away from him.

The speedster struggled but the bat rope wasn't letting up.

His infected team laughed until they were choking.

Aqualad had surround him with water on the floor.

Kid Flash realized what he was doing, "KALDUR DONT- _ZERRR_!"

The Atlantean had electrocuted the water.

Wally's head hit the wet pavement with a thunk.

In the hospital, Artemis was fully alert as she hurried in.

Lucky for her, the infected were like zombies, so they walked slowly in the halls.

Despite some who tried battling her with wheelchairs and blood stands, she had an easy time going in.

All the rooms had a case on the wall of unused needles, so she was able to retrieve them quickly.

She took two, before running out.

The laughing people pulled at her hair and some even tried to swing at her as she injected the needle into one of their arms.

Pulling out blood, Artemis was forced to punch some of the patients and nurses to get away from them.

She shot an arrow that wrapped around the legs of a doctor causing a domino effect.

One by one, the laughing men and women fell behind her target.

She smiled before leaving.

"Told him not to worry." she smiled.

Outside she took a moment to safely store the blood sample.

' _Alright Artemis, now we hit Central.'_


	10. Chapter 10, Im not Laughing

Avoiding the people in the city, Artemis headed to a nearby zeta tube.

She wanted to check on her mother, but she knew seeing her in such a state would not help anything. Besides, she had a mission.

Time was a gift in her situation, a valuable one.

The blond was unfamiliar with Central City. The only times she had been there were for meet ups with Green Arrow.

From previous missions, Artemis knew the facility Star Labs and its location so she wasn't worried.

Once she arrived, the archer realized something she didn't expect.

Central city was quiet.

"No… no!" she yelled.

"The toxin spread here too!"

She was confused, however, something didn't add up.

' _Me and Wally were not affected but we were obviously within range if it spread out over two cities.'_

"Gotta find Wally." she whispered.

Artemis was able to walk into the usually heavily guarded facility with ease.

Men and women wandered around laughing and giggling, some unable to pull themselves from the floor.

She shivered as she walked passed them and through the lobby.

"Wally?" she yelled walking further and further.

By now, she started to worry.

Checking on the team should have been quick, especially with his speed.

Artemis groaned, 'what was I thinking. No way to communicate…'

She looked up at the small television in the corner of the room.

The screen showed a long desk where a woman was trying to control her laughter while hiding her face within her arms.

Below her read the words, "Mass bomb threat- Nowhere to hide"

Artemis didn't want to believe it.

Suddenly the television began to flicker.

After a few moments of static, a new image appeared.

The Joker stood tapping the glass of the lense.

"Hello there, anyone home? Splendid! I see you're starting to piece together my grand puzzle!" he laughed.

Artemis stood tall trying to appear calm. Obviously the Joker had been watching her.

"The only thing interfering with this master plan is the tiny little puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit in, but i'm sure we can find a way to make it fit, can't we?"

His tone grew from light to dark as he continued.

"Luckily, all the other **important** pieces are in place!" the camera shifted from the Joker to several men and women, colorfully dressed laughing in a group.

Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter all engulfed in the madness of the Joker. Peaks of Hawkgirl and Hawkman's wings could be seen beside them.

The camera quickly turned back to the joker, "Oh wait, but there's more! We couldn't forget the little tykes, now could we!"

"He didnt." Artemis wobbled back in horror.

Bringing her hand to her mouth, suddenly the line of what she could handle was crossed.

The sight of _her_ own team horrified her.

They weren't just her team, they were her friends.

They held hands tightly and laughed. It looked like they were in pain but the smiles remained plastered.

"There they are, all bright eyed and cheery!" he laughed turning the camera for it's last scene.

There, being held on his knees by two men behind him, was the iconic redhead speedster.

Artemis' eyes began to water, "But what's this! A stubborn little baby, isnt he? No worries, that's an easy fix!"

Joker's face became intimidating as he turned to the camera, "You have one hour. We'll be waiting for your _peaceful_ arrival at the central of Central City, HAHA! I never liked the name, so unoriginal. Anyways, i'd be quick…"

Seconds before the tv switched stations a voice hollered behind the clown,

"Artemis, dont Im-!"

The feed was cut.

Artemis stormed back down the hall, holding in her tears.

Reaching in her belt, she grabbed the sample of blood taken from the hospital.

"This clown made it personal."


	11. Chapter 11, Cut Me Some Slack

A sour faced Wally remained on his knees in silence by his disguised uncle, the Flash.

They had guns to their heads, so they really could not move.

After threatening the Joker several times, The Flash told Kid Flash he should stay quiet.

Reluctantly, he obeyed.

His head steamed at the thought of Artemis getting captured trying to rescue **him**.

He knew she wouldn't be able to hold up, as tough as she was, and without him, he didn't know how she could make a cure.

Wally felt a nudge at his leg and looked down without moving his head.

The Flash made eye contact with his ex sidekick.

Wally knew that his uncle would form a plan, he was good at thinking quickly in tight spots.

The duo had worked together since Wally first started being a hero, so they knew each other's code.

Barry coughed and got nudged in the head, "Quiet, you!"

"It was a cough."

"I said quiet!" the goon yelled and The Flash remained silent.

A smirk formed on Wally's lips, a cough meant on the count of five.

In his mind, he began the countdown.

'5. 4. 3. 2.'

His fists formed a ball at the last second,

'Go time.'

He lunged from his position as did Barry and both grabbed the guns seconds before the men fired, knocking out their captors with their other hand.

"Kid, run!" they both bolted out of the building, leaving their laughing teammates behind.

They'd be back soon enough.

Joker's eyes seemed to pop out of his head, "Get them, get them, get them!"

Was all the speedsters heard as they exited the door.

"She's in Star Labs." Wally said after they had successfully made it outside.

Barry acknowledged and was shocked as Kid Flash began to run ahead.

"Kid, since when did you get faster?" the Flash said, trying to keep up.

Wally pretended not to hear him. He knew why he was running faster than usual, he just didn't want to admit it.

Artemis was a smart girl. She aced math, english, history, one thing she never aced, was science. The archer never failed a class, but she was always close to the mark when it came to the subject.

Despite her disadvantage, Artemis refused to give up. Looking through the microscope, she could see the particles within the small drop she had removed from her sample.

It was obvious there were green agents latching on to the regular blood cells, creating the poisonous effect.

That much, she understood. The problem, was how to remove the green agents from blood cells.

She looked around the room and went from shelf to shelf, searching for anything that might help.

She dug out bottles and tubes with names she could not pronounce.

Laying them out, Artemis placed her hands on the table and made her arms stiff.

A puff of air blew out of her as she tried to concentrate.

"Where's the science nerd when you need him." she groaned.

Over her shoulder, a voice spoke so close to her ear, Artemis nearly jumped out of her skin,

"Aw little miss perfect needs help."

Artemis threw her elbow back towards the source of the voice as instinct.

She turned around quickly, preparing for a fight but froze once she realized who it was.

"Owwww" Kid Flash grabbed his nose, closing his eyes tightly.

"Wally!" Artemis smiled. She was about to hug him but paused and quickly retreated the action.

The speedster opened his eyes as Artemis spoke, "How'd you get here?" she asked.

Suddenly, The Flash had appeared in the doorway behind him.

"Really? Not even gonna apologize for the broken nose?"

"You snuck up on me!"

"I did not!"

Barry came in between them, "Not now, you two, we have a job to do."

He walked over to the sample Artemis was studying, peering into the microscope.

Both heroes were silently glaring at the other before turning back to the Flash.

Discreetly, Artemis was relieved he was ok. Wally felt the same way towards Artemis, but he refused to even say it in his mind.

"The poison can't affect me or Wally. Our metabolisms burn things off rapidly, so when the joker tried to poison us, we were only affected by the chemicals for a few seconds before the symptoms went away." Barry stated, not moving away from the scope.

Wally picked up where Barry left off, "The Joker was stalking us from the beginning. I was attacked by our, excuse me, _my_ team when I went to check on them."

Artemis looked away from him as he continued, "When the Joker learned he couldn't poison us, he decided to use me as bait. He has everyone, the Justice League and… **everyone**. The bomb that went off in Gotham was only one in a couple hundred that went off all over the country."

"Still doesn't explain why you _and_ I weren't affected by it."

Artemis said as she placed her bow down beside her.

Wally remained quiet for a moment, "I'm not sure, actually. You **should** have been infected."

Barry turned from the microscope and looked at the table in front of him. "Is this all you could find, Artemis?" she nodded and he sighed.

"We don't have much time, I heard the Joker talking to his men. They're planning something big."

The teen heroes glanced at eachother, Artemis spoke, "With everyone at the fingertips of a maniac, I imagine it _would_ be big."

Barry was quiet before turning around to face the substances on the table again, "Artemis, i'm going to need more needles, empty. Our goal right now is to cure the Justice League and your friends. Afterwards, we can find a way to get everyone else in the country help." she nodded and made her way to the door.

"I'll go with her." Wally bolted before she reached the knob.

"Why? I can get them alone."

Wally was stern, "Like splitting up went so well last time."

Barry interrupted, "Both of you go, Artemis knows the place, Wally can get you there faster. Don't kill each other before you get back."

Kid Flash smiled mockingly at the archer, satisfied with the Flash's answer.

Artemis glared at him and turned away quickly. While walking out she told the speedster to 'keep up'.

He laughed, "Right." he said.

Artemis was already running towards Gotham's hospital, Wally ran beside her, "You know the point of me coming was for transportation."

Artemis remained quiet and kept going forward. She was fit but was soon running out of breath after two miles of running without stopping.

Wally was smirking as she slowed down and he proceeded as if he had only ran for a few minutes.

It took a moment longer for Artemis to come to a complete stop for a break.

She took a couple breaths and the speedster stood beside her with his arms folded in front of him.

The smirk never left his face.

He leaned down to see her since she was in a crouched position.

"Need a lift?"

Artemis turned her head in his direction and squinted her eyes.

Rather than answer, she began running again.

She had to pause again before even running another mile.

While catching her breath, the redhead opened a protein bar and took a bite.

He was quiet.

Artemis knew what he wanted to hear, but she went bitter at the thought of giving him the satisfaction.

But the archer knew that she wouldn't be able to make the full 6 mile run without taking several breaks, especially without water handy. She was dehydrated and tired.

As she stood up tall, Wally's smirk returned. Finishing his snack, he waited for her to talk.

Looking him directly in the eyes, she murmured in a soft voice, "Alright, give me lift."

He drew closer, "Sorry what? I didn't catch that." Artemis looked down.

She hated how much he was enjoying this.

"I need. A lift."

The ginger deemed he had tortured her enough, picking her up and beginning to run without a word.

Artemis caught her break, while giving him directions until they arrived.


End file.
